Head suspension having transition arms and rear support

ABSTRACT

A head suspension includes a headband portion having a length and two transition arms. Each transition arm is coupled to the headband portion and extends away from the headband portion length at an angle greater than zero degrees. Each transition arm has a distal end and a pivot at the distal end. The pivot characterized by a pivot point and a rear support portion is pivotally connected to each pivot.

The present patent application is a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/681,829, having a filing date of Oct. 3, 2008from International Application PCT/US2008/078657, which claimed priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/978,824, filed on Oct. 10,2007, the disclosures of all of which are incorporated by reference intheir entirety herein. Thus, embodiments of the HEAD SUSPENSION HAVINGTRANSITION ARMS AND REAR SUPPORT are disclosed.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a head suspension for protectiveheadgear and particularly to a head suspension having transition armsand a rear support portion pivotally connected to the transition arms.

BACKGROUND

Protective headgear, for example construction hard hats, helmets, suchas fire fighter helmets, shields such as welding shields and grindingshields, sports equipment headgear, and the like often include aheadgear support or head suspension. The headgear supports or headsuspension often include with headbands and/or head straps that areadjustable so that the headgear can be supported comfortably on any sizehead by the headband.

In many headgear supports or head suspensions, it is desired that theheadband be easy to adjust and that it fit adequately without discomfortto the user. In some cases, it is also desired that headgear supports orhead suspension headbands do not require that the headgear be removedfrom the user's head in order to make adjustments in the size of thehead suspension. Furthermore, it is desired that the head suspension becomfortable to wear for extended periods of time without excessive needof re-positioning or adjustments. Accordingly, there is a need for headsuspensions that are more comfortable to wear for longer periods of timeand that are easier to adjust.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a head suspension for protectiveheadgear and particularly to a head suspension having transition armsand a rear support portion pivotally connected to the transition arms.

In a first embodiment, a head suspension includes a headband portionhaving a length and two transition arms. Each transition arm is coupledto the headband portion and extends away from the headband portionlength at an angle greater than zero degrees. Each transition arm has adistal end and a pivot at the distal end. The pivot characterized by apivot point and a rear support portion is pivotally connected to eachpivot.

In another embodiment, a head suspension includes a laterally extendingheadband portion having a length and two transition arms. Eachtransition arm is coupled to the headband portion and extendslongitudinally away from the headband portion length. Each transitionarm has a distal end and a pivot at the distal end. The pivotcharacterized by a pivot point and a rear support portion is pivotallyconnected to each pivot.

In a further embodiment, a head protection device includes a laterallyextending headband portion having a length and two transition arms. Eachtransition arm is coupled to the headband portion and extendslongitudinally away from the headband portion length. Each transitionarm has a distal end and a pivot at the distal end. The pivotcharacterized by a pivot point. A rear support portion is pivotallyconnected to each pivot. A head protection element is attached to thehead suspension.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the inventionin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an illustrative head suspension;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective rear view of the illustrative headsuspension shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation view of an illustrative headprotection element;

FIG. 4 is a schematic rear perspective view of an illustrative headsuspension;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an illustrative rear supportportion;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevation view of an illustrative rearsupport portion and transition arm pivot connection; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic exploded view of the pivot connection shown inFIG. 6.

The figures are not necessarily to scale. Like numbers used in thefigures refer to like components. However, it will be understood thatthe use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is notintended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the samenumber.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way ofillustration several specific embodiments. It is to be understood thatother embodiments are contemplated and may be made without departingfrom the scope or spirit of the present invention. The followingdetailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

All scientific and technical terms used herein have meanings commonlyused in the art unless otherwise specified. The definitions providedherein are to facilitate understanding of certain terms used frequentlyherein and are not meant to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes,amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claimsare to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term“about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numericalparameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claimsare approximations that can vary depending upon the desired propertiessought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing theteachings disclosed herein.

The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numberssubsumed within that range (e.g. 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3,3.80, 4, and 5) and any range within that range.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a”, “an”, and “the” encompass embodiments having pluralreferents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used inthis specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generallyemployed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearlydictates otherwise.

The present disclosure relates to a head suspension for protectiveheadgear and particularly to a head suspension having transition armsand a rear support portion pivotally connected to the transition arms.The disclosed head suspension is comfortable to wear for prolongedperiods of time and reduce the need for the user to re-position oradjust the headgear supports or head suspension headband during use, andat the same time is suitable for carrying a head protection element. Therear support portion is pivotally coupled low on the user's head so thatthe position of the rear support portion avoids certain pressure pointson the back of the user's head. While the present invention is not solimited, an appreciation of various aspects of the invention will begained through a discussion of the examples provided below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an illustrative head suspension 10.FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective rear view of the illustrative headsuspension 10 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation viewof an illustrative head protection element 50. FIG. 4 is a schematicrear perspective view of an illustrative head suspension 10. FIG. 5 is aschematic perspective view of an illustrative rear support portion 21.

The head suspension 10 includes a headband 20 that extends about auser's head 30. The head suspension 10 includes one or more top bands 15that extend over the user's head 30 and each end of the top bands isjoined to the headband 20. The head suspension 10 includes a headprotection attachment element 40.

The head protection attachment element 40 couples a head protectionelement to the head suspension 10. In many embodiments, the headprotection attachment element 40 pivotally couples a head protectionelement 50 to the head suspension 10 allowing the head protectionelement 50 to pivot relative to the head suspension 10. The headprotection element 50 can be any useful head protection element such as,for example, a welding helmet or shield, a hard hat, a fire fighterhelmet, a grinding shield, sports equipment headgear, and the like.

The headband 20 is an elongated element having a band length andincludes a front portion 11 and a rear portion 12. The headband 20 has alength and two transition arms 16. Each transition arm 16 is coupled tothe headband 20 at or near the rear portion 12. A proximal end of eachtransition arm 16 is coupled to the headband 20 by any suitable couplingmeans, such as permanent or removable mechanical attachment means. Inone exemplary embodiment, as illustrated, transition arms 16 may beformed integrally with the headband 20. In another embodiment,transition arms 16 may be pivotally coupled with the headband 20. Eachtransition arm can have any useful length defined by a linear distancebetween the proximal end to a distal end 17. One example of this lengthis defined by the linear distance between a bottom edge of the headband20 and the pivot point 19. This length can be, for example, in a rangefrom 1 to 15 cm, or in a range from 2 to 10 cm, or in a range from 2 to6 cm.

Each transition arm 16 extends away from the headband 20 length at anangle θ greater than zero degrees, or, in some exemplary embodiments,from 20 to 110 degrees, or from 60 to 110 degrees, or from 60 to 90degrees. Each transition arm 16 has a distal end 17 and a pivot 18 atthe distal end 17. The pivot 18 is characterized by a pivot point 19,which corresponds to a center of rotation of an adjacent portion of therear support portion 21 with respect to a transition arm 16 it ispivotally connected to. A rear support portion 21 is pivotally connectedto each pivot 18.

The rear support portion 21 can include an adjustment element 13configured to adjust a head size of the head suspension 10. Oneexemplary adjustment element 13 is an adjustment knob providing aratchet-type head size adjustment as described in U.S. Pat. No.4,942,628, and incorporated by reference herein to the extent is doesnot conflict with the present disclosure. However, any other types ofadjustments that enable a user to tighten and/or loosen the headsuspension 10 about a users head are within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The headband 20 front portion 11 is configured to be disposed across aforehead 35 of a user 30. The headband 20 length extends along aheadband plane H_(P) (a plane extending into the paper and through thetop of the head 30 and across a forehead 35 of a wearer). A front majorsurface of the transition arm 16 may be used to define a transition armaxis T_(P). The transition arm axis T_(P) is a straight line extendinggenerally along the length direction the transition arm 16 and extendingthrough the central region of the transition arm 16. The intersection ofthe headband plane H_(P) and the transition arm axis T_(P) forms anangle θ having the value ranges described above. In many embodiments,the headband 20 extends laterally about the user's head 30 and thetransition arms 16 extend generally longitudinally relative to thelaterally extending headband 20.

In many embodiments, the headband portion 20 is configured to bedisposed against the forehead 35 of the user 30 and the rear support 21is configured to be disposed at or below an occipital bone region of auser. In some embodiments, the headband portion 20 is further configuredto be disposed against the forehead 35 of the user 30 and the rearsupport 21 is configured to be disposed in line with an ear canal (i.e.,external acoustic meatus) of the user and below the ear canal (i.e.,external acoustic meatus) of the user. In some embodiments, the headbandportion 20 is configured to be disposed against the forehead 35 of theuser 30 and the rear support 21 is configured to be disposed at or belowa transverse occipital suture and/or an external occipital protuberanceof a user's skull.

In other embodiments, the headband portion 20 is configured to bedisposed against the forehead 35 of a user 30 and each pivot point 19 isconfigured to be disposed below a BL-9 and GB-19 skull pressure points31 of the user. In some embodiments, the headband portion 20 isconfigured to be disposed against the forehead 35 of the user 30 and therear support 21 is configured to be disposed below a BL-9 and GB-19skull pressure points 31 of the user. In some exemplary embodiments, theends of the rear support 21 can be pivoted about the pivot points 19 tomove through a PIVOT RANGE defined by a rear support 21 raised position21 _(R) and a rear support 21 lowered position 21 _(L).

FIG. 6 is a schematic side elevation view of an illustrative rearsupport portion 21 and transition arm 16 pivot connection. FIG. 7 is aschematic exploded view of the pivot connection shown in FIG. 6. Thetransition arm 16 distal end 17 includes the pivot 18. The end of therear support 21 includes an aperture 22 that is sized to interact withthe pivot 18. In many embodiments, the pivot 18 includes one or moreprojections 18 _(P) that provide(s) a snap lock pivot connection withthe outer edge of the aperture 22. The outer end of each projection 18_(P) may include one or more ridge(s) 18 _(R), which helps secure therear support aperture 22 to a transition arm 16 distal end 17. Thus,during assembly, the rear support 21 aperture 22 travels over and pastthe pivot 18 one or more projections 18 _(P) and their ridge(s) 18 _(R),which flex to allow for insertion into the aperture but subsequently“snaps” together, forming a secure snap lock pivot connection. Theridges 18 _(R) are sized such that they overhang the surface forming theaperture 22, preventing the rear support portion 21 and transition arm16 from separating without inwardly flexing of the pivot 18 projections18 _(P) toward the pivot point 19. Although the figures of the presentapplication show a particular embodiment of the pivot 18, any othersuitable configurations are within the scope of the present disclosure.In some embodiments, the pivot 18 is a projection or post extending awayfrom the transition arm 16 major surface. This post can include ridgessized such that they overhang the surface forming the aperture 22,preventing the rear support portion 21 and transition arm 16 fromseparating without inwardly flexing of the pivot projections toward thepivot point.

In exemplary embodiments, the rear support portion 21 can be attachedand detached from the transition arm 16 pivot 18. In one embodiment, therear support portion 21 can be asymmetric such that a user can assembleit in a low configuration or assemble it in a high configuration wherethe rear support portion 21 is rotated 180 degrees (e.g., flipped) andthereby elevated up or down (because of its asymmetrical shape)depending on preference. This asymmetric feature of the rear supportportion 21 can be utilized to better fit on different back head shapesor for getting free from other head wear. This asymmetric rear supportportion 21 can have an upper and/or lower arcuate edge or outer edge (asshown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). The arcuate edge can be facing upwardtoward the top of the user's head (not shown) or facing downward in anopposite direction (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4). When the asymmetricrear support portion 21 is assembled in a low configuration, the rearsupport pivots thorough a first pivot range defined by a rear supportraised position and a rear support lowered position (as shown in FIG. 4and FIG. 5). When the asymmetric rear support portion 21 is assembled ina high configuration, the rear support pivots thorough a second pivotrange (not shown) defined by a rear support raised position and a rearsupport lowered position. In these embodiments, the first pivot range isdifferent that the second pivot range.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can bepracticed with embodiments other than those disclosed. The disclosedembodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and notlimitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims thatfollow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A head suspension comprising: a headband portionhaving a length and having a bottom edge; at least one top band thatextends over a user's head and each major end of which is joined to theheadband portion; two transition arms, each transition arm beingnon-pivotably coupled to the headband portion and extending away fromthe headband portion length at an angle greater than zero degrees, andeach transition arm having a distal end and a pivot at the distal end,the pivot characterized by a pivot point; wherein each transition armcomprises a transition arm axis and wherein each transition armcomprises a length, along the transition arm axis of the transition arm,in a range from 2 cm to 10 cm, the length being defined by the lineardistance between the bottom edge of the headband portion and the pivotpoint; a rear support portion pivotably connected to each pivot, and, ahead protection element attached to the head suspension, wherein thehead suspension is configured to support the entirety of the headprotection element.
 2. A head suspension according to claim 1, whereineach transition arm extends away from the headband portion length at anangle in a range from 20 to 110 degrees.
 3. A head suspension accordingto claim 1, wherein each transition arm extends away from the headbandportion length at an angle in a range from 60 to 100 degrees.
 4. A headsuspension according to claim 1, wherein each transition arm isintegrally formed with the headband portion.
 5. A head suspensionaccording to claim 1, wherein the rear support portion comprises anadjustment mechanism configured to adjust a length of the rear supportportion.
 6. A head suspension according to claim 5, wherein the rearsupport portion comprises a ratchet-type adjustment mechanism configuredto adjust a length of the rear support portion.
 7. A head suspensionaccording to claim 1, wherein the headband portion is configured to bedisposed against a forehead of a user and the rear support portion isconfigured to be disposed in line with an ear canal of a user and belowan ear canal of a user.
 8. A head suspension according to claim 1,wherein the headband portion is configured to be disposed against aforehead of a user and the rear support portion is configured to bedisposed against or below an occipital bone region of a user.
 9. A headsuspension according to claim 1, wherein when the head suspension isfitted to a head of a user, the rear support portion is pivotablethrough a pivot range between a maximum raised position and a maximumlowered position.
 10. A head suspension according to claim 1, whereinthe head suspension system comprises at least two top bands, each ofwhich top bands extends over the head of a user and with each end ofeach top band being connected to the headband portion.
 11. A headsuspension according to claim 10, wherein each end of each top band isconnected to the headband portion at a location that is proximal to ahead protection attachment element of the head suspension.
 12. A headsuspension according to claim 11, wherein each end of each top band isnon-pivotably connected to the headband portion.
 13. A head suspensionaccording to claim 10, wherein the at least two top bands arenon-intersecting with each other.
 14. A head suspension according toclaim 1, wherein the head protection element is a welding helmet,welding shield, grinding shield, or hardhat.
 15. A head suspensionaccording to claim 1, wherein the rear support portion pivotally couplesto each pivot by a snap lock.
 16. A head suspension according to claim1, wherein each transition arm comprises at least two through-openings,one of which through-openings of that transition arm coincides with thepivot point of that transition arm.
 17. A head suspension according toclaim 16, wherein the through-opening that coincides with the pivotpoint of that transition arm is at least partially circumferentiallysurrounded by at least one projection that protrudes from thattransition arm and that at least partially defines the through-openingthat coincides with the pivot point of that transition arm, and that isinsertable into a through-aperture in the rear support portion to form asnap lock that pivotably couples the rear support portion to thattransition arm.
 18. A head suspension according to claim 17, wherein theat least one projection comprises a ridge that extends generallyradially outward from the at least one projection; and, wherein theridge at least partially overhangs a surface of the rear support portionthat at least partially defines the through-aperture in the rear supportportion, when the rear support portion is snap-locked to the transitionarm.
 19. A head protection device comprising the head suspension ofclaim 1 wherein the head protection element of the head protectiondevice is a welding helmet, welding shield, grinding shield, or hardhat.20. A head suspension according to claim 1, wherein the rear supportportion is pivotably connected to each pivot at a forward terminal endof the rear support and wherein the rear support portion is notconnected to the headband portion other than through the two transitionarms.
 21. A head suspension according to claim 1, wherein the headbandportion comprises first and second rearward terminal ends that define agap rearwardly therebetween; and, wherein a first transition arm of thetwo transition arms is non-pivotably coupled to the first rearwardterminal end of the headband portion and wherein a second transition armof the two transition arms is non-pivotably coupled to the secondrearward terminal end of the headband portion.